Thomas in Love

Thomas In Love is a very interesting film from the first second to the last. It's not the least bit like any other movie I've seen, thus most likely, you'll either love it or hate it. It starts out on a computerized screen, and you begin waiting for the moment it'll jump onto "real life scenes". Now, that was one of the most enjoyable waits of my life, lasting longer than I thought. Thomas In Love is certainly watchable, and even more. Easily 3 stars out of 5, and maybe a 4th one.

But as I said, don't expect to see a Hollywood movie, or a European movie, or a Belgian movie. It's 100%, and not even 99.9%, different than any other movie ever made that I've seen. You might not like it, and as stated above, you could very well hate it. But you'll find it outstanding and interesting for sure, and you won't regret having spent an hour and a half with it EVEN IF you hate it. Watch it!

I'm surprised by the quantity of gushing reviews of Thomas in Love, which IFC is now showing on cable TV in the US.

This movie feels like a sci-fi short story developed into a short film by a student. The characters aren't very well-developed and the plot is small. The setting is foreign enough to be futuristic, but still familiar. The camera work is unusual and that's half of its charm. It's an exploration of an idea. A one-line plot pitch sums up the whole movie in its entirety. So many other films manage to create a spell in the time allotted to them, or create amazing characters with a wealth of subtleties. This movie doesn't manage that. It doesn't even attempt it. This is not to say it's a bad movie, just that it's not really all that noteworthy either.

While Thomas in Love is thoroughly enjoyable, fun, cute, and stylish in a gently cyberpunk way, it's not a stand-out.

thomas in love is an engaging story and with aesthetically pleasing cinematography and colorful sets

i wish the relationships between the characters could have been developed a bit more fully. perhaps casting was the issue because one 'cyber-girlfriend' was much more engaging than the other, which leaves you missing her towards the end of the film.

it might have held together better if it had focused on one major relationship. almost seems as if there was enough raw material to develop into two separate films rather than trying to smush both relationships into one.

but overall, a really enjoyable film!

warning: fast forward past first few minutes if you don't know your date too well-- gratuitous cartoon sex could have been handled with more subtlety. didn't add much except titillation to the storyline.

if you liked this film, check out Lynn Hershman Leeson's TechnoLust. Leeson adds a bit more humor but similar mise en scene & aesthetic.

I got up early on Sunday to catch a matinee of Thomas in Love. I had a horrible headache (from all the drinking I did the night before) and i almost thought twice about going to see this french Sci-Fi story about an agoraphobic. But i got up, put on my clothes and head over to the Nuart, my second favorite place in L.A. The movie was astounding, told completely thought the computer and video/phone system that Thomas uses to keep in touch with the world. The movie has a very hopeful and frightening feeling to it, simultaneously, a walking contradiction, like Thomas himself. The film has a very sterile and detached details to it, which is the reason for my fear. Internet will only separate us more, one does not need to live the house, or socialize. With great special efx (that add to the story, not take over), and a simple, almost under written characters, the director manages to pull two love stories in two hours both of them different and haunting, like love itself. The acting was difficult just because is all talking heads, but still is fascinating.

We caught Thomas est amoureux at the Virginia Film Festival this year. As we left, my wife and I (who have seen a number of really good films this year) agreed that this was one of, if not the best, movie we'd seen in a long time. It tells the story of Thomas, a young agoraphobic, who has not left his house in eight years and who interacts solely through the internet videophone on his computer. Yes, it is told from his point of view, which is as claustrophobic and inhibiting as you would expect. However, I thought it was brilliant - by the end, I felt as cramped and limited as the protagonist. ****/****